We’ve seen a domino effect of giving – those receiving the BeyondMe ribbon through a simple act of generosity then pay kindness forward, touching more people.

As the ribbon campaign has been on my mind this week, I’ve made a conscious effort to be generous and thoughtful towards colleagues, friends and people I’ve interacted with.

No act of kindness is too small

I gave a thank you card to someone who has been an amazing, supportive friend, I bought some chocolate treats for my team, I shared home-cooked Indian food with neighbours… All small acts, no extra effort, not expensive. And seeing their immediate reaction was uplifting and empowering. I could add to someone’s day in a positive way with a simple act of generosity.

Virtuous cycle of positivity

At the Sunday Assembly last weekend I heard Dr Itai Ivtzan, a positive psychology lecturer, talk about enhancing positivity in our lives by doing more things that we love, spending more time with loved ones, being more kind and helping those in need. He suggests the more of this we do, the more positive we feel and the more of it we want to do – a virtuous cycle of positivity. And so random acts of kindness boost the receiver and the giver’s positivity.

Kindness is infectious

For me, the ribbon race has been infectious. I’ve brought a smile and moment of happiness to people’s lives. It’s made me feel positive. And I’ve wanted to display more acts of kindness.

From consciously thinking about what kind things to do at the start of the week, to the end of the week, when my acts have been more natural and spontaneous. It’s like generosity is becoming a subconscious part of me. That is an exciting and empowering feeling.

Making a genuine difference

A BeyondMe team founder I spoke to this week said he loved working on his charity project because he felt that he made a genuine difference to someone’s life. He saw his time, skills and money help his charity’s beneficiaries, disadvantaged youth, find employment.

This made me appreciate that there are even more ways I can give, more people I can reach, more kindness I can spread and more positivity I can breed – a virtuous cycle of generosity.

If we start with simple generous acts, we instinctively want to do more.

The power of generosity

Never underestimate the power of generosity. You never know how much happiness and what difference you can bring to someone’s life and your own. Join me in making kindness an instinctive part of you.